Big Shoes to Fill for Lady Scot Rookies

As the saying goes, instead of rebuilding in volleyball, Highland Park typically reloads. After all, it’s a program that has been a state runner-up twice since 2003, and has won its district in five of the past six years.

That theory will be tested this season, as the Lady Scots play without a large group of seniors that engineered a run to the Region II final last season at the Class 6A level, and broke a school record for the most wins in a season.

As HP drops down to Class 5A this fall, several new faces are joining the varsity roster, so developing depth and experience will be key.

“We have a core, but we’re having to fill in some spots,” said HP head coach Michael Dearman. “We’ve got a lot of young up-and-coming players who are talented, but we just need to get them used to the varsity level. They’ll be thrown into the fire right away.”

The Lady Scots will rely heavily on talented returnee Jordan Westendorff (who has verbally committed to play beach volleyball at TCU), who has the versatility to slide to the back row and provide offense from there, too. But they will play without Falyn Reaugh, who has committed to Clemson but decided prior to the season to skip her senior year at HP and focus instead on track and field.

Madeline Ngo also returns after splitting time as setter a year ago. Among the newcomers who could make an impact are Plano East transfer Berkley Hays, incoming freshman Kendyl Reaugh, Britton Daugbjerg, Hannah Vandermeer, Sarah Reedy, and liberos Chandler Stark and Anna Holder.

“We have a lot of firepower at the net,” Dearman said. “That will certainly be a strength for us.”

Despite the drop in classification, HP will still have plenty of challenges in District 15-5A play, including two matches against perennial powerhouse Lovejoy, which won the 5A state title last season. However, the Lady Scots topped Lovejoy in a tournament last August.

Dearman knows that with his team’s rigid slate of nondistrict matches and tournaments, it will be critical to figure out a lineup prior to the start of the 15-5A schedule in early September.

“Looking down the road, this team will be poised to do really well in the playoffs,” Dearman said. “That’s what we’re concerned about.”